The Forums, which have functioned in one way or another since 1996, have now been closed to new posting. However there is a wealth of accumulated wisdom that can be searched for and utilized, so we've archived the messages.
Join our new forum on Facebook, the Eat Right 4 Your Type Group.

All Herbal teas are for medicinal purposes. Even the food you eat are for medicinal purposes. Some teas, such as roots, i.e. ginger, turmeric, have to be boiled for decoction. However, hot water is poured on herbs and allowed to stip for a few minutes.

DOES ANYONE KNOW ON THE HERBAL TEAS IF SHOULD BREW THEM AS A TEA, OR FOR MEDICINAL USE? †NEWBIE TYPE O WITH PLENTY OF QUESTIONS THANKS

Hi, and welcome, Heather! †I drink herbal tea all day long at work, keeping a stash of same in my desk drawer. †As for how long to brew it, it all depends on your taste preferences: †do you like a given flavor strong (leave bag in a long time) or mild (leave bag in a shorter time). †If you are just going to drink the tea as a beverage, follow the directions on the box for brewing tea, not the ones for "medicinal use", if the box gives you a choice between two sets of directions. †But, normally, it isn't even that complicated, you just stick the bag into your cup and add water, leaving the bag in as long or as short as you like, taste/strength-wise. †Only certain herbal teas are specifically for medicinal use only and not really for drinking just as a daily beverage, such as goldenseal for example. †But on the other hand, most herbal teas, such as the peppermint and chammomile that I favor (see next paragraph), are "medicinal" in the sense of bestowing nice health benefits on the consumer...provided they are not in discord with your blood type.

The tea that I drink most of the time is 100% peppermint (Celestial Seasonings brand). †Always read labels, because often they add things in that might be avoids or that you just plain might not want. †I prefer things very pure. †I like the Celestial Seasonings peppermint because, unlike many of their varieties, it is very pure, containing only 100% peppermint leaves. †I also drink chamomile tea and rooibos tea. †The one kind of tea I drink that is a no-no is Twinings Earl Grey, as it is black tea and not green tea (Twinings makes an Earl Grey GREEN, but it is nearly impossible to find...even Whole Foods doesn't have it and, if Whole Foods doesn't have something, I don't need it *lol*...but they are looking into if they can order it for me). †ANYWAY: †In general, with herbal teas, just leave the bag in there as long or as short as you like and that's all there is too it! †Enjoy, and welcome, again!

"If you are on one of Dr. D's diets and it isn't joyful, you aren't doing it right."- me -

If you don't have access to hot water, I've found you can cold-brew herbal teas: just take a bottle of water and add your favorite bag tea! While I am on lunch, I let the bottle steep in the sun for a couple of minutes. For green tea, I leave the bag in the bottle; no bitter taste results.

I usually buy herbal teas in bags and just follow instructions. I have a hibiscus tea that brews for 6 to 8 minutes. Green teas can take only 45 seconds. It really depends on the herb. If you're buying bulk herbal teas, you might just check package instructions for a similar herb in a bag form.

A favorite brand is Select because individual bags are completely sealed in either cellophane or foil to keep them fresh.

Blogger CherylO pos SecretorTexas

"There is nothing noble in being superior to some other man. True nobility is being superior to your former self." Anonymous quote

I tend to avoid actively boiling water for making herb teas (and green tea). The exception to that is twigs, stems, bark and roots, because they need more heat and time to brew. Roasted dandelion tea, for example, which is a great coffee-like dark brown drink, does well with being covered with boiling water, then steeping in the cup or tea-pot for 20 to 30 minutes. It is good for the liver and digestion, but is a nice beverage tea also.

Flowers and leaves extract faster, and don't need fully boiling water. If I am going to drink something for it's medicinal benefits, such as the mint family for digestive distress, I will pour on water just short of boiling, and let it steep at least 10 minutes, and probably leave the bag in the cup. If I am drinking it just for it's delightful taste, I will use water just short of boiling and let it steep only for a couple of minutes, then remove the bag. You get a more delicate taste that way.

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.~Mary Jean Irion

I tend to avoid actively boiling water for making herb teas (and green tea)...Flowers and leaves extract faster, and don't need fully boiling water. †If I am going to drink something for it's medicinal benefits, such as the mint family for digestive distress, I will pour on water just short of boiling, and let it steep at least 10 minutes, and probably leave the bag in the cup. †If I am drinking it just for it's delightful taste, I will use water just short of boiling and let it steep only for a couple of minutes, then remove the bag. †You get a more delicate taste that way.

Regarding peppermint tea, specifically (my fave, tied with Earl Grey), I always make mine what I am gathering ya'll would consider incredibly strong. †The boiling water here at work is truly BOILING, I think it is beyond boiling. †I add it to my Thermos cup with my peppermint tea bag and just leave the bag in forever. †It takes a VERY long time to even cool down enough to drink. †By the time it cools down enough to not burn your tongue (or my tongue, anyway--my grandma, mom, and sister, as well as my Aunt Virginia, all have these tongues of steel and can drinking boiling hot beverages, but I didn't inherit the steel tongue, I got a regular one), the peppermint has brewed very strong. †Even after that, I just leave the bag in. †I usually use it twice or even three times (I have a Thermos full of water on my desk and just keep refilling my tea all day--it is a wondermous system!). †I find that there is no possible way for peppermint tea to be too strong for this O non. †I just love the taste and find it sort of a bracing, refreshing tonic.

I mainly drink the Celestial Seasonings peppermint all the livelong day, but the other teas I have right this second in my desk are:

But the star is the 100% peppermint. †I go into a veritable panic if I run out, darting out on my lunch break to get more. †I must have my peppermint tea. †I don't ask for much in this life, but peppermint tea whilst at work is one of life's quiet little pleasures.

"If you are on one of Dr. D's diets and it isn't joyful, you aren't doing it right."- me -

Along the subject of ideal water temperature for brewing, I have a question...

What about those of us that live at higher altitudes where water boils at a lower temperature... around 180-190 degrees Fahrenheit where I live... Should I actually let the water come to a boil... or am I trying to avoid the conversion of water to steam for the ideal brew?

Car.... right on with the peppermint!! I MUST have peppermint tea first thing in the mornings when travelling. Otherwise I am queasy and out of sorts the rest of the day.

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.¬†¬†There are many ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Car.... right on with the peppermint!! I MUST have peppermint tea first thing in the mornings when travelling. Otherwise I am queasy and out of sorts the rest of the day.

Kristin, when I was little, our next-door-neighbors had a patch of peppermint growing in their side yard. †I used to scale our fence and brave their border collie, Kimmy (mind, I was terrified of dogs--even the sweetest varieties thereof--back then), in order to pick some. †Now, I know what ya'll are thinking: †WHAT?! †The person who has been complaining for 5 years about kids in her yard once WAS a kid in someone's yard? **! †But, no, we were close friends with this family, so it is not the same thing...exactly...okay, so I never ASKED about taking oodles of fresh mint outta their patch, but it would have been okay...trust me, we were close, I even babysat their younger kids when I got older and my sister and their oldest daughter are still best friends and, well, it wasn't the same as the kid sitch on our block WAS (GOT to love that past tense--wu HUUUU!). †ANYHOOO: †I used to pick fresh mint and proceed to eat some, put some into iced tea (oh YEAH, babe), put it into Coke w/lemon, etc. †I just thought that the mint leaves were the most wonderful thing ever.

I've always been a mint freak. †I'm glad it is beneficial for O's, otherwise, I'd have to go around with a fake avatar for some type that it IS at least okay for and pretend to be that type...which would get tiring after a bit, no doubt!

"If you are on one of Dr. D's diets and it isn't joyful, you aren't doing it right."- me -

Kristen,I could be wrong..This is just my feeling about boiling water and herbal beverages.

Our friend Edna loves her Peppermint tea STRONG, and I think that's why she goes for "the hotter the better" for the water. It's not necessary in order to make a good cup of herbal tea. It's similiar to what Peter tells us about green tea....

In the first minute or two of brewing, with slightly less than boiling water, most of the characteristic oils and flavor ingredients will leave the leaves and flowers of an herb, and enter the water. These are the ones that offer the delicate oils and tastes. For beverage purposes, this is when many folks drink their herbal tea.

After that, the solvent effect of the hot water will begin to extract the plant juices and/or tannins, and, according to the Chinese doctors, you will begin to get something akin to a vegetable "broth". If it is for medicinal purposes that you are brewing the tea, the extended steeping is when you will extract those properties. The hotter the water and the longer you steep, you will eventually end up with plant matter that is completely used up, and you will have consumed everything that the plant has to offer.

With longer brewing, and with hotter water, the result will be less subtle in flavor, and more stout. I think it's a matter of taste and what your intention for the end result is.

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.~Mary Jean Irion

Kristen,Our friend Edna loves her Peppermint tea STRONG, and I think that's why she goes for "the hotter the better" for the water. †It's not necessary in order to make a good cup of herbal tea.

Oh, it isn't that I like the water hot, it is that the water here at work in the boiling water spigot thaaang on the coffee machine is that hot! I myself buck the family genetic trend of liking "hot things hot" as they put it, to include beverages, soups and entrees. I personally like everything at room temp. at the hottest *lol*! I also, as far as tea brewing specifically goes, like to "cold brew" tea if left to my own devices. But I go for the boiling water here, to save time, thereby enabling myself to down more tea in an 8-hour period *lol*. I'm with you, though, Victoria: No need to use boiling water, let alone the insanely hot BEYOND boiling water they have here. Don't even get me started on the 2nd-degree burn I got from that thaaang back in the days of the old board. Those who remember that time remember that. After that, I refused to TOUCH that water tap until the sorrowful day, years later (very recently), when they changed the management of the cafeteria to an outside vendor and we thus no longer have a different hot water spigot that we used to have, which had a much more reasonable temperature. I'm terrified of the one I use now. The cliche is really so true (most of 'em are, that is how they become cliches!): "Once burned, twice shy." So true, so true. If anyone even comes within 3 feet of me when I'm using that machine, I freak out, like they are going to bump into me or something, and I go into post-traumatic stress flashback mode, emitting a hearty: "WHAT'S UP? I'M USING THE BOILING WATER TAP HERE, WATCH OUT!"

"If you are on one of Dr. D's diets and it isn't joyful, you aren't doing it right."- me -

Car - Yes, I am a mint lover too, especially mint and chocolate... And I bet your neighbors way back when appreciated someone devouring the mint... once it get's into the garden, it is impossible to get rid of. Plant mint in it's own container, I always say.

And isn't it the phrase "once bitten, twice shy (babe)" ... or am I just remembering an old Ian Hunter song...

Once burned twice shy works too

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.¬†¬†There are many ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Car - isn't it the phrase "once bitten, twice shy (babe)" ... or am I just remembering an old Ian Hunter song... †

Once burned twice shy works too †

omg, I think you're right! †It IS "once bitten, twice shy"! †All this time, I thought, gee, that is ACCURATE, that "once burned, twice shy" cliche...! †Accurate, but not a cliche, the real one is as you just stated...egad.

Another way that I'm wack was pointed out to me this very weekend by my mom, when I mentioned something about the phrase "Brave New World" and attributed it, as I always do, to George Orwell. †Well, no, she corrected me, it was Aldous Huxley who coined that gem. †"WHAT??!!!", said I! †"Mom, you don't have Clue One what you are on about! "Brave New World" is an Orwellian concept! You, my dear mom, are sadly confused!!!!!" But she was right! I hate that, and it happens so consistently!

Who knew?

"If you are on one of Dr. D's diets and it isn't joyful, you aren't doing it right."- me -

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP GUYS. †I DO HAVE ANOTHER COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. †DO ANY OF YOU WHO ARE O'S TAKE BLADDERWRACK? †I PICKED UP GAIA'S BLADDERWRACK FRONDS FLUID. †IT RECOMENDS 30 TO 40 DROPS 3-4 TIMES A DAY. †i AM SORT OF NERVOUS ABOUT TAKING IT. †I KNOW IF I CALL MY DOCTOR HE WILL FROWN UPON IT(NOT MUCH OF AN HERBALIST). †aLSO IN REGARDS TO THE TEA I PICKED UP,[/color][color=blue] I GUESS I PROB. SHOULD HAVE SAID WHAT KINDS. †I LOVE TEA PEPERMINT GREEN,FRUIT HERBALS AND YES BLACT TEAS......I KNOW THEY ARE A NO NO FOR TYPE O'S. †MY QUESTION IS ABOUT SARSAPARILLA ROOT, ROSE HIPS, DANDELION ROOT, AND LICORICE ROOT? †I PICKED THEM UP BECAUSE THE BOOK RECOMENDED THEM AND I AM UP FOR TRYING NEW THINGS BUT DO ANY OF THEM COME WITH A RECOMENDED AMOUNT? †THE SASP. IS NICE AND SO IS THE ROSE HIP, I HAVE NOT TRIED THE OTHERS YET. †tHANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR ADVICE YOU GUYS ARE REALY GOING TO HELP ME STICK TO THIS!!!

On the subject of herbal teas, does anyone know whether rooibos (or Redbush) has been tested for avoids?

Its the only tea Ive found that tastes remotely (and I mean remotely!) like ordinary tea. I was a tea addict (...I am English...!!) drinking up to 8 mugs a day before restarting the BTD. I have occasional lapses, had 2 cups today...ouch... but I'm much better than I was...would hate to find out rooibos was an avoid for As.

I haven't personally seen any mention of it being avoid for any blood type. I do know that it is one of the ingredients in the type O tea, for whatever that is worth. I would say, consider it a neutral until we hear otherwise.

I have just come out of a couple of years of drinking Rooibos tea quite heavily, so I understand how you could like it. It's a taste that either you like it or can't stand it!

If you want a couple of other teas to experiment with, I suggest Kukicha (Twig Tea). It is the roasted stems and twigs of the tea plant. It is low in caffeine and still tastes rich and has that subtle "tea" flavor.

Another one that is good if you really like and miss black tea is ROASTED green tea.It probably isn't quite as rich in healthy properties as regular green tea, but on the other hand, it may be easier to drink because the taste is not quite so "green". If you try the roasted G.T., try pouring on the water when it just begins to steam. Don't let it reach a boil, or the tea gets bitter. It doesn't seem to matter with the Twig Tea, because it doesn't get bitter, in my experience.

May your Spot o Tea be delightful!

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.~Mary Jean Irion

Great conversation on the herbal teas. I just recently started drinking the herbal teas, especially after I did the test to see that my oxystress level was pretty darn high. The recommended herbal teas to help with this are Ginger or Rose Hips. I added the rose hips to my tea cabinet but still have not braved the ginger. I'm not a big fan of ginger but may have to break down and try this for a taste variety.

Great conversation on the herbal teas. I just recently started drinking the herbal teas, especially after I did the test to see that my oxystress level was pretty darn high. The recommended herbal teas to help with this are Ginger or Rose Hips. I added the rose hips to my tea cabinet but still have not braved the ginger. I'm not a big fan of ginger but may have to break down and try this for a taste variety.

Is anyone a Ginger tea drinker?

I love ginger tea, particularly when it is made from fresh ginger root. When I make a batch from fresh ginger root I will drink 4-5 cups that day. I use vegetable glycerin to sweeten it.

I like ginger in general and use ground ginger in several things I serve.